


wouldn't it be nice?

by eddiefuckinkaspbrak



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - 50 First Dates Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Memory Loss, Richie Tozier Flirts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2020-10-19 08:49:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20654465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eddiefuckinkaspbrak/pseuds/eddiefuckinkaspbrak
Summary: Richie Tozier runs a sealife centre in Hawaii, spending most of his time flirting with the tourists that come to visit. When he meets Eddie Kaspbrak, a young man with short term memory loss, he’s instantly intrigued and everything changes.(or a 50 First Dates AU)





	1. aloha, eddie!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of a three part fic based on the movie 50 First Dates! 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Richie Tozier...why didn’t you tell me you were a double agent?” The blonde asked with wide, disbelieving eyes. RIchie had to try his best not to roll his own eyes, keeping up the charade he had put on in order to get rid of the girl. It was his routine. He’d meet a tourist on their holiday, mess around with them for a week and then come up with some excuse as to why they couldn’t keep in contact. 

“It’s not exactly something I can just blurt out and tell you babydoll,” Richie tried to explain, but the girl seemed to be in no rush to leave him alone. Normally, his excuses were lavish enough that his catch of the week would rush off, leaving him alone, but sometimes there were the odd one. 

The girl, who Richie couldn’t remember the name of no matter how hard he tried, reached out to take his hand. “Can I at least call you when I land?”

With a shake of his head, Richie stepped back from her, “No can do baby, I’ll be in South Africa when you land.” A complete lie, but it was the first country to come to mind when he thought about it. “ Shit I said that just a little too loud there.” He brought his watch up to his lips and started mumbling random phrases into it, glancing up at the girl every so often to see she was  _ still _ standing there. Ugh.

“Well, what about when you get back?” She asked, sounding almost desperate now, which irritated Richie in ways he could never explain. He hated it when they became clingy. Once again he shook his head and the smile dropped from her face. 

“That’s just not an option, Carrie,” Richie took a chance on the name and by the look on her face, he had chosen wrong. “Before you comment, I had to change your name for your protection.” He glanced behind him and saw his chance of escape in the form of a local on a water ski. As Carrie, or whatever her name was, leaned in for a goodbye kiss, Richie bounced back. “Got it! Moving out!”

Without another word to the girl, Richie rushed down the deck and jumped as the man in the water ski sped passed him. He landed right behind him, but the impact crushed his balls and he let out a painful scream as the guy let out a noise that sounded like, “What the fuck!”

Not wanting to be caught out, Richie just yelled over the blood rushing in his ears as well as the engine of the ski and the waves, “Keep going, I’ll give you twenty bucks!”

The guy just laughed and kept going, agreeing to Richie’s terms without question, “Alright man, no worries. How’s your balls?” He yelled and Richie let out a strained laugh.

“Fucking killing me!!”

The guy dropped him off at the shore, and Richie, true to his word, handed him the twenty bucks, massaging between his legs as he walked away. A few feet away stood his best friend and workmate, Bill, who was smirking like a fucking ass. He rolled his eyes as he walked passed him and held up a finger, “Not a word, you got it? Not a word.”

Bill just followed behind him, laughing like an idiot. He never understood Richie’s obscene attempts to get the men and women that were visiting Hawaii into bed. Just because he was in a loving marriage with a second baby on the way, didn’t mean Richie was ready to settle down. 

They made their way back into the aquarium where Audra was waiting patiently, her bump showing under her camisole and holding the hand of their four year old daughter, Ava. “Uncle Richie!” She grinned, letting go of Audra’s hand and running towards him, and he scooped her up into his arms. 

“If it isn’t my favourite girl, huh?” Richie laughed, hugging Ava tightly before placing her back on her feet. “How was school?”

“Boring,” Ava grumbled, crossing her arms. “It was so nice and all I wanted to do was swim with the dolphins. Oh can I please go swimming with the dolphins uncle Richie? Please?”

Richie looked up at Audra and she nodded once, giving him permission and he bent down to Ava’s level. “I guess that since you have been such a good girl, if you go and ask Bev nicely, she’ll take you swimming yeah?”

Ava just grinned and nodded her head, soft auburn curls bouncing, “Yes! Thank you Uncle Richie!” She started running towards the door. 

“Hey, no running!” Bill called after her, but she was already inside the aquarium, door slamming behind her. “I can’t  _ wait  _ to have two of them.” He muttered. 

Audra reached them and pressed a soft kiss to Bill’s cheek, hugging Richie shortly afterwards, “You know what they say Bill, no two children are born the same. You never know, this one might be tame compared to Ava.”

“Or even more of a terror,” Richie butted in and kissed Audra’s cheek. “Don’t you look just dashing Audra,” he winked, only to earn a smack to his arm from the woman in question. “Hey! What was that for?”

“When are you going to stop using all these women and men, Richie?” She asked, crossing her arms. “Don’t you want to settle down? Start a family?”

Richie scoffed, stepping back and making his way towards the door, “I don’t need to settle down, I have all the family I want right here with you guys, and the animals. What more can I ask for?” He turned around to take the final steps into the main hall of the aquarium, but didn’t miss the looks that were shared between Bill and his wife. 

With a grumble, Richie shrugged it off. He was telling the truth, he didn’t need anyone in his life. He had everything he ever wanted right at his fingertips. End of story. He had only just closed the door to the surgical room when his work day began in the form of Beverly Marsh, his assistant. 

“Richie!” She gasped, rushing into the room, followed closely behind with Ava, who was worried. “It’s Oscar!” 

Immediately Richie jumped up and rushed out of the surgical room, grabbing his medical bag as he rushed passed. Oscar was one of the Walrus’ at the aquarium, and just also happened to be one of Richie’s favourites. As soon as he laid eyes on him however, he breathed out a sigh of relief. He knew exactly what had happened here. 

“Jeez Oscar  _ again _ ? What have I told you about eating the ladies’ fish as well as your own?” Richie grumbled and placed his hands on top of Oscars stomach and he pressed down. The very second that he did that, Oscar let out a groan, followed by projectile vomit that proceeded to cover Bev from head to toe. 

Ava let out a squeal of a giggle and hit behind a rock for protection, and Richie let out a wince as Oscar finally stopped, collapsing back onto the rock with a sigh. Bev stood up and wiped away the bile from her face, giving Richie a death glare. “A little warning next time Tozier!”

“Sorry Bev!” He called after her as she rushed back inside to get changed. 

All in a day’s work. 

* * * * *

A few days later, Richie found himself at the pier, checking all the vitals on his boat, “The Trashmouth”. He had been gearing her up for the past five years to go to Alaska to study the Walrus’ there, but so far the furthest he has gotten without some sort of malfunction was around the small island. 

Deciding that he would take her out for another spin, he set sail, closing his eyes and feeling the wind and breeze in his hair. Just as he was almost certain that everything was going to go according to plan this time, there was a loud snap from above him and he snapped his eyes open. To his horror, the top of the mast had broken and was coming straight towards him. 

“Shit!” He gasped, jumping out of the way, just in time as the wood hit the wheel, sending it flying into the ocean below. “Are you fucking kidding me?” 

Richie anchored the boat down securely before blowing up the lifeboat, letting it take him to shore, where he sighed in relief at the small cafe that was located only a few minutes walk away. He’d call for help and wait for the coastguard to arrive over a cup of coffee.

The place was rather quaint and had a local feel to it, which made Richie smile as he loved eating local produce. He took a seat at the bar and was soon joined by one of the waiters who offered him a menu, “Hey there, what can I get for you?” The man, Stan according to his name badge, asked. 

“Uh, coffee please?” Richie asked, sending his message to Bill and smiling at the waiter.

Stan raised an eyebrow, “Just coffee?”

Richie nodded his head, “Yeah, I had some breakfast earlier so I’m all good. I’m just waiting on my friend and coastguard arriving to tow my boat back to shore.”

“What exactly did you have to eat kid?” Stan asked, looking at Richie seriously. “No offence but you are nothing but skin and bone.”

Richie raised his hand in defense, “I had a donut and a chocolate milkshake.” He grinned almost proudly, earning him a scoff from Stan and a roll of his eyes. 

“I’ll get you some eggs and toast,” Stan said seriously, turning around to the other guy who was standing a few feet away and giving him the order. Richie could only smile and he looked down at his phone, but a flash of light caught his eye unexpectedly. 

With a frown he looked up and he felt his stomach fall to his feet at the sight. Across the diner was a boy, a boy with light blonde hair and pale freckled cheeks, dressed in pink overalls and  _ damn _ wasn’t he the cutest thing that Richie had ever seen or what!

He watched as Stan approached him, holding a plate of waffles and the boy looked up, smiling at him, “Thanks Stan! Is that new haircut?” 

“It is, Eddie!” Stan laughed before continuing on his way to the next customer. Ah...so the cute boys name was Eddie. It was almost  _ too _ perfect. Then, as Richie thought he couldn’t get even more cuter than he already was, Eddie started to cut up his waffles...only to build up a Teepee, pouring some of his coffee inside, before sitting back and reading his newspaper. 

Holy fucking mother of shit. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the eggs and toast being sat in front of him by the other man behind the counter, who’s name read; Mike. He smiled and thanked him, his eyes drifting over to the boy who was now reading the newspaper and sipping on his coffee as his legs swung back and forth under the table. 

“Richie Tozier?” A voice called and he turned around to greet the coastguard, and just like that, the cute boy was out of his mind. 

Bev was waiting for him when he got back, his tail between his legs. She just laughed and thanked the coastguard for his help with not only saving her friend, but his boat as well. Once he was gone, Richie took a seat, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I am so fed up with my bad luck!”

A hand was placed on his shoulder and Bev sat down next to him, shaking her head, “Hey, don’t let this stop you from working on the boat. It’ll work out eventually, I know it will.”

As they sat there in comfortable silence, his thoughts went back to the boy from the cafe. “Oh Bev…” he breathed. “There- at the cafe, there was this guy and holy shit...he was something else.”

Bev raised her eyebrow, “Did you talk to him?” She asked but Richie shook his head.

“No I- I think he was a local. I mean- I wanted to go and talk to him but I really wasn’t feeling the Tozier energy at the time. God, he was really fucking cute though,” Richie sighed, grinning like an idiot. “He was dressed in these pink overalls and was making a Teepee out of his waffles. I swear to god Bev, it was adorable.”

“I thought you had your rule about not dating any locals?” Bev asked, crossing her arms as she stared at her friend. “Or do you think you’re changing your tune? Was it love at first sight Tozier?”

Richie shoved Beverly back and she cackled. “Fuck off Marsh, I only managed to catch his name from a distance. It’s Eddie. Jesus, he even has a pretty name” 

Bev moved to stand up, needing to get back to work but she put a hand on Richie’s shoulder. “I think that you need to get over what Sandy did to you in college and finally let yourself commit to someone. Why don’t you go back to the cafe and talk to this Eddie? You never know, even if a romantic relationship doesn’t come of it, maybe a friendship will.”

Fuck. Richie really hated it when Beverly was right. 

* * * * *

It was the next week when Richie finally plucked up the courage to go back to the cafe and maybe, possibly, have a conversation with Eddie. It never really occurred to him that the boy might not actually be there, but as soon as those thoughts appeared, they were gone as he saw him sitting at the familiar table. 

This time, Richie was very much on his A game and he cracked his knuckles, walking into the cafe and heading towards the booth opposite Eddie’s. This time, he was making a house out of his waffles, and drinking a glass of water in replace of the coffee. No matter what Eddie was doing though, Richie still thought he was as cute as a button. 

“Hey, donut guy from last week!” Richie looked up to see Mike standing next to him, grinning. “What are you doing here?”

Richie blinked and put on his best Tozier smile, “Couldn’t get enough of those eggs! Way better than donuts I have to say. Why don’t you hook me up with some more, Mikey?” He asked and Mike nodded, winking at him and walking away. As he did so, he offered a soft ‘hello’ to Eddie, who smiled and returned the greeting. 

He turned his attention back to Eddie, who was trying to attach a small door to his waffle house, but failing miserably. Richie looked around, trying to look for an opening, when his eyes landed on some toothpicks, and agrin spread out on his face. He picked one up and stood up, walking over to the table with the boy. 

“Why don’t you try this?” He suggested and stuck the toothpick down the waffle, securing the door so it would swing back and forth. Richie looked back up to meet the confused stare from Eddie, blinking back at him curiously. 

For a moment, Richie thought he’d fucked up, but then Eddie smiled and sat back with a grin, “Hm. Now why didn’t I think of that?”

Shaking his head, Richie stepped back, “Don’t be too hard on yourself, you were too lost in the project, it happens to the best of us.”

Eddie pursed his lips, “You’re right, sometimes is nice to get an outsider’s perspective. Thank you,” he smiled and Richie shook his head. As he was about to walk away and not push his luck, Eddie held out his hand. “I’m Eddie.”

“Richie,” he grinned, shaking the boys soft hand. Fucking hell. “Nice to meet you, Eddie.”

“Nice to meet you too, Richie,” Eddie smiled. He looked behind him to the table Richie was previously occupying. ‘You’re sitting alone? Why don’t you join me? I’m sitting alone too.”

_ Score _ . Richie nodded his head and moved to sit opposite Eddie, “I would never turn down an offer from such a cutie like yourself.” As the compliment left his lips, he watched Eddie’s cheeks turn a light pink. 

Eddie bit down on his lip and Richie had to stop himself from dying right there on the cafe floor at how adorable he was. “So, what do you do?” He asked, lacing his fingers together across the table. “Are you an architect or something?”

Richie chuckled and shook his head, “Oh no no, I’m a vet at the aquarium. I deal with all the fishies!” 

“Oh so  _ that _ ’ _ s _ what the smell is?” Eddie laughed and Richie couldn’t help but bark out his own laugh, right from the heart. It almost took him by surprise, as he couldn’t remember the last time someone other than his close friends made him laugh like that.

“Oh, Eds gets off a good one!” He grinned and Eddie tilted his head. 

“Eds?” He asked

Richie winked, “Eds, you know, short for Eddie. It’s a nickname.”

It looked as though Eddie wanted to say something, but he didn’t, instead he looked back at Richie’s hands. “I love that smell...the smell of fish.”

“Oh- no you don’t,” he laughed, picking up a lemon and covering his hands with the juice, hoping to get rid of the smell just a little. 

Eddie shook his head, “No I do, my dad and my brother are fishermen. Sometimes they go out to sea for months at a time and I miss them so much when they’re away...when they come back that’s all I can smell. It’s how I know they’re home.”

Richie blinked, “That...is really sweet, Eds.”

Mike came back over to the table then with his breakfast and gave them both a look before walking away. After that, their conversation began to flow, talking about everything and anything. Eddie asked Richie about his job, and Richie asked Eddie about his love for art and his job at the art school teaching kids. 

“Did you know that Walrus’ are known for having rather...gigantic male anatomy?” Richie asked and Eddie blinked, raising his eyebrows. “Yeah uh, the second largest in the world.”

Eddie bit his lip once more, “What’s the first?”

Richie paused, as though he was thinking about it, but then pointed his thumb behind the counter at Mike, who was chopping up food. “I think Mikey over there.”

That caused the two of them to erupt in a fresh bout of laughter, and Eddie reached up to wipe away some stray tears. Richie stopped laughing after a second, just staring at Eddie with a fond look on his face. “I like your laugh,” he said softly and Eddie flushed once more. 

“I like you making me laugh.”

Richie opened his mouth to say something else, but they were interrupted by Stan. “I hate to break this up, but we are setting up for lunch soon.” He gave Richie a pointed look as he walked away.

“Sorry Stan!” Eddie called after him and started to pack up his things and he looked back at Richie. “I really should get going now. It’s my dad’s birthday today and we’re going to watch a movie with him.”

Richie rubbed a hand behind his head, not really ready to say goodbye to Eddie, but knowing he had to, ‘Well uh, you have fun now, okay?”

Eddie laughed and nodded his head, “Yeah, I will.” He paused. “Do you maybe want to get breakfast with me again tomorrow morning? Same time because my art class is at 10 tomorrow.”

“Oh- I don’t know-” Richie pretended to think about it. “I’ll be there. Definitely.” With another giggle, Eddie held out his hand in goodbye and Richie brought it up to his lips, kissing the skin of his knuckles. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

There was another blush on Eddie’s cheeks, and Richie wanted to see that flush every day for the rest of his life. “Bye…” he breathed and Richie stepped away, moving behind the van to his own car. 

“Oh my god,” Richie breathed to himself before grinning and doing a little dance. What he didn’t know what that the owner of the van had driven away, and as he turned around he froze in place, catching Eddie  _ also _ engaging in a happy dance of his own. “Shit.” He breathed, his own cheeks flushing and he jumped into the van and quickly drove out of there, grinning like an idiot. 

* * * * *

“Uncle Richie!” Ava screamed, running towards him as he stepped out of the car and he picked her up, spinning her around. “Where have you been?!”

Richie laughed, holding her tight and growling into her skin like a monster. She giggled and he sat her down, “I was having breakfast, why did you miss me?”

Ava frowned, tilting her head to the side. “Breakfast? It’s almost lunchtime!” She grabbed his hand and pulled Richie towards the aquarium, where Bill and Audra were. “Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Richie’s back!”

Bill looked up and smiled at his friend, “Where have you been?”

“As I told my niece, I was having breakfast. Same place I stopped at last week.” Richie explained, taking a seat. “I met someone too, a boy. His name is Eddie and we’re meeting up for breakfast again tomorrow.”

Both Bill and Audra looked back and forth at Richie before smiling at him. He didn’t hang around to wait for their response, instead he picked up Ava and carried her to the swimming pool, laughing as she giggled the whole way. 

The following morning it was storming, but that didn’t stop Richie from heading out to the diner for his date with Eddie. Because it was a date, he knew it was. They hit it off too well for it not to be a date. As he stepped inside, he was grabbed around the arm and tugged him away from the main hall. “Woah- Stanley take a guy out first.”

“Shut up, Richie. Stay there. We need to talk.” He forced him into a seat and rushed off to deal with a customer. 

Richie sighed and looked around the cafe for Eddie, just as the door opened and the object of his affection rushed in and took a seat in the same booth. He grinned and looked behind him, not seeing Stan, and he stepped over to Eddie. 

“Heya, Eds. Nice morning today isn’t it?” Richie asked, sitting opposite him.

Eddie looked up at him, a look of complete and utter confusion on his lips, “Uh- what? What was that?”

“Eds! My nickname for you. I was thinking we could go see the Walrus’ today and you can see just how big their ding dongs are!” Richie laughed.

“Okay pervert, I think you should leave me alone now.” Eddie whispered, panic on his face and Richie frowned. 

He tried to reach out for Eddie, but he scrambled back, “Hey, hey wait. I was just referring to yesterday, remember?”

Eddie shook his head, “Yesterday?” He swallowed thickly. “I’ve never even met you.”

_ What the fuck? _


	2. worth it?

Richie stared at Eddie in total and complete shock. Had he entered some kind of alternate reality in his sleep? He must have done, because he was pretty sure that he and Eddie had spent the morning together the day before and had agreed to meet up again this morning for breakfast. Now he was claiming he had never even met Richie? Was this some kind of elaborate prank. 

In the midst of his thoughts, Eddie had stood up, looking even more panicked than he did earlier and started walking backwards, “Mike, I need help, this- this crazy guy is stalking me!”

“Coming Eddie!” Mike called, stepping out from behind the counter with a meat cleaver in his hand and Richie swore he almost shit his pants. 

“Woah, woah put that thing down! No need for violence!” Richie yelled, walking backwards himself, his heart rate skyrocketing with the insane amount of confusion running through his already fucked up brain. 

Before Mike could even take a step forward, Stan was walking towards him, pointing at Richie with anger in his eyes, “I’ll deal with this, you outside. Right now.” He grabbed Richie by the arm and started to pull him towards the door, stepping outside into the rain. Luckily, they were under the porch.

Richie was still confused as fuck, and shook his head at Stan, “What the fuck is going on? I- am I crazy? Have I hit my head or something because I’m fucking certain that we were hanging out yesterday and now he doesn’t know who I am?”

Stan shook his head, running a hand through his curls, “Look, this is why I wanted to talk to you earlier. This- Eddie isn’t like any regular guy you’d meet at a place like this. He’s a very special person.”

“Okay?” Richie relaxed a little, tilting his head to the side as he watched Stan’s expression go from angry to...sad almost. 

He looked back up at Richie and sighed, “About a year ago, Eddie was in...he was in a really really bad car accident. Like, really bad. He was in the car with his dad and they were heading to the local grocery store to pick up some ingredients to bake a cake for his dad’s birthday.” Stan stopped for a moment. “One moment the road was clear, and then out of nowhere a truck came barreling towards them. Frank, Eddie’s dad, managed to swerve but they collided with a tree. Frank came away with a couple cracked ribs but Eddie, he uh, suffered a really serious head injury.”

As Stan spoke, Richie walked away out to the other side of the porch and back, taking in all the information that he could, even though his head was starting to hurt. “What- what does that mean?” He asked. 

“It means, Eddie lost his short term memory. He still has all of his long term memory, from before the accident, but any new memories? He just can’t retain them. It’s like the slate gets wiped clean every night when he’s asleep.” Stan explained. 

Richie blinked a few times, “Wait- fuck, this sounds like some crazy lie I’d make up to get some guy or girl off my back. Am I...am I the psycho in this scenario?” He asked and Stan shook his head. 

“I know, I know this is a lot to take in but I wish I were making this up. Eddie has no memory of ever meeting you, or breakfast that you shared yesterday.” He said with a small, sad smile. 

“What about the birthday thing?” Richie asked, remembering that Eddie mentioned it was his dad’s birthday the day before and Stan glanced back inside. Richie did too, seeing Mike had calmed Eddie down and they were laughing over a drink of milk. 

Stan turned back to him, “He says that every day because every morning he wakes up thinking it’s October 13th of last year. He comes here every day because he comes here on a Sunday, and October 13th was a Sunday. He has no clue it’s more than a year later.” Stan then went on to explain all the efforts they go through to make Eddie believe that it was October 13th, even going as far as to make a fake newspaper. 

“Eddie does the same thing, every day Richie.” Stan eventually said, after a few moments silence. “It’s been like that for almost a year, and right now, it’s the way it stays.”

* * * * *

Eddie waited with Mike until the creepy guy from earlier left. He watched very carefully as he backed away from the cafe and into his car, driving off. He huffed and finished his drink, hopefully he’d never ever have to see that man again. 

“I have to go now, Mike,” Eddie smiled, standing up and giving his close friend a kiss on the cheek. He loved Mike and Stan so much, ever since his mom and dad got divorced they had been that extra shoulder to cry on when he needed them too. “It’s my dad’s birthday, as you know and we’re going to watch the sixth sense!”

He missed the look that Mike gave Stan as he was so busy packing up his bag, “I’ll see you next week Mike, Stan. Wish me luck with my art class tomorrow!” He smiled as they both wished him well and he rushed out to his car. Thankfully, it had stopped raining, which meant he didn’t have to struggle to put the hood up. 

It was his dad’s birthday and he couldn’t wait to surprise him with his present and eat the cake he and his dad would bake later that evening. He parked the car outside his house and grinned as he rushed up the stairs. 

“Dad!” He called into the house, grinning even more as he heard his dad’s voice coming from the kitchen. He walked through and laughed as he saw him trying to flip some pancakes. “Hi dad, happy birthday!”

Frank turned around, pulling the pan off of the heat and he met Eddie in a tight hug, “Hey kiddo, thanks very much.” Eddie looked behind him and his eyes widened when he saw the cake sitting on the counter. 

“You already made the cake?” He asked, his face falling. It was their tradition to bake the cake together, but here it was, all made and...decorated. “What about our tradition?” He frowned. 

His dad blinked, a little sadness on his face, “Oh well...Ben was experimenting and he decided to bake it this year instead. I didn’t want to upset him because you know he’s the best baker in this family kiddo, right?” He put on his best smile and Eddie couldn’t not smile back.

“Okay, okay, fair enough. What are we going to do this afternoon then? I had all the day planned and its just...not going to happen now.” Eddie sighed but his dad was still smiling. “What?”

“Well...I painted my garage earlier today,” he started and Eddie just raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms. “White.”

Now  _ that _ caught Eddie’s attention and he clapped his hands, following his dad out to the garage where tins of paint were sitting out, waiting for him. “Oh my god, are you serious? I get to paint the whole place?” He asked and Frank nodded his head, ruffling Eddie’s hair. “Dad!”

His dad just laughed and shrugged, “Couldn’t help myself, kiddo. This whole place is yours. Do with it what your heart desires!”

Eddie loved to paint, so the fact that his dad was giving him free reign over his garage was like an early birthday present for him. Before he started on his masterpiece, he turned around to his dad with a grin. “You and Ben should watch the game while I’m painting!”

“Right,” his dad nodded and moved to the door. “Have fun kid, we’ll be inside if you need us. I think Ben’s cooking spaghetti.”

With a wave of his hand, Eddie picked up a paintbrush and began on his artwork. He mixed colours together, used the big brushes and the little ones. Even at one point he used his hands and by the time he was finished, it was getting dark outside, and he was starving. 

He washed his hands in the sink before heading inside, where his dad was watching the game with Ben on the armchair. “Hey guys, what’s the score?”

“14-10,” Ben answered and leaned over. “I bet they score last minute and win,” he winked and Eddie shook his head. 

“No way!” He laughed at the absurdity of it. “You’re definitely going to lose that bet.”

However...that was exactly what happened and Ben cheered with victory. “Told you!” Eddie frowned, looking back and forward between the game and his brother.

“I don’t know how you knew that would happen but...well done you.”

Once the game was fully over, they all headed to the table for dinner before singing happy birthday and digging in to some very tasty cake. Maybe his dad was right in letting Ben do the baking in the house from now on, because damn it was delicious! After all the dishes were cleared away, Eddie held out his hand with the wrapped up gift for his dad. “Happy birthday.”

With a smile, his dad opened his, revealing the movie ‘The Sixth Sense’. “Aw thank you Eddie, I love it!”

“We should all watch it, right now!” Eddie suggested with a grin, missing the looks his dad and Ben shared as he rushed over to the couch, popping the DVD inside with a smile. “Come on! It’ll be fun!”

They all huddled around the couch, watching the movie, although unbeknownst to Eddie, he was the only one paying any attention. When it was over, still shocked from the twist of an ending, he yawned and sat up. His dad looked up at him with a tired smile, ‘Sleepy kiddo?”

“Hm, this was a really fun night dad. I love you so much,” He leaned down, hugging his dad tightly. “Happy birthday again. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Eddie,” Ben called softly and Eddie blew him a kiss goodnight before climbing the stairs and getting ready for bed. He had a big day at art class tomorrow. 

Little did he know, his dad and Ben were down stairs, resetting everything for the next day. Ready to live it all over once again. 

* * * * *

“And that’s what happens every single day,” Richie explained to Bill and Bev as he sat on his boat, drinking beer and basically wallowing. “Stan told me her doctor said his memory might never come back.” 

Bill sighed and Bev looked really sad as he explained everything he had been told early. That is, until Bill clicked his fingers. “So basically, what you’re saying is, he is the perfect guy for you?”

Richie looked up, frowning, “What do you mean by that Big Bill?”

“Richie, this guy forgets every night when he goes to sleep! Every day he wakes up and he has no idea you even exist! No attachment involved and when you’re done you just...disappear.”

Bev gasped in shock and punched Bill in the arm. Richie snorted but shook his head at what Bill was suggesting. “That’s evil Bill, Eddie...he has a memory condition. I can’t be using my need for no commitment on him it’s just. No. Absolutely not.”

Bill just shrugged and stood up, getting ready to head back to his house, his wife and his daughter. To his family. Now it was only Bev and him left, and he knew she was going to try her use of words on him. “Rich, you haven’t been with someone for a long time, maybe...maybe Eddie is that person.”

Richie wanted to shake his head, but he knew that Bev was right. He couldn’t get Eddie out of his mind, which was why the following day, he found himself back outside the cafe. He peeked inside the window, breathing out when Stan was nowhere to be found and he knocked on the door to gain Mike’s attention. 

“Pstt, Mike!”

Mike turned around and he laughed, a smile on his lips, “Richie, what are you doing here?” He asked, opening the door to let him in to the back kitchen. 

He glanced through the counter hatch, his eyes landing on Eddie who was dressed in those same damn overalls that made his heart melt and he looked back at Mike. “I just want to talk to him.”

“Richie…” Mike shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. Stan said that you were to stay away from Eddie.”

“I know!” Richie ran a hand through his hair. “I know, but...I won’t upset him this time I swear. I just want to go over and say hi, maybe try and re-create that same conversation we had the first day I was here.”

Mike pursed his lips but looked out to where Eddie was sitting too, “Honestly? Eddie probably doesn’t even want to talk to you.”

“Hey, what is that supposed to mean?” Richie asked, crossing his arms and frowning deeply. 

With a laugh, Mike rolled his eyes, “Richie, Eddie doesn’t want guys hitting on him during breakfast, I mean...come on man. It’s not like this is a social event, it a cafe and he comes in here to eat his breakfast and enjoy some peace and quiet.”

Richie pursed his lips and then smirked, “I bet you twenty bucks I can get him to have breakfast with me again.”

Mike raised and eyebrow, pausing just for a second before he stuck out his hand and they sealed the deal. “Okay, you’re on.”

This was going to be a piece of cake. He knew exactly how to get Eddie to agree to have breakfast with him. All he had to do was reenact their very first encounter with the waffles. The moving door with the toothpick. He moved out to the diner and Stan spotted him right away. “Mike and I have an agreement. It’s fine I won’t...I won’t scare him I swear.”

Stan just glared at him and wacked him across the head with a menu before walking away. Richie cleared his throat, getting into character before he picked up a toothpick, waving it at Mike before he walked over to Eddie and slipped it into the door area just like he did the other day. 

“Swivelly door, see?” Richie smiled at Eddie, moving the small waffle door back and forth. He leaned back, watching Eddie’s reaction but...it was not the same one as before. 

This time, he looked...annoyed. He pursed his lips and stared at Richie as though he were insane. “Do you know how unsanitary that is?” He asked. “Putting your fingers all over someone else's food without their permission? I mean, how am I meant to know where your hands have been and you’ve just touched my waffle. That’s so gross.”

Richie blinked and looked back and forth between the food and Eddie, his cheeks going bright red with embarrassment. “Oh uh...you were going to eat that?”

“Well duh,” Eddie rolled his eyes and looked back down at his paper, signalling that the conversation was well and truly over. With a sigh, Richie backed away, meeting Mike’s eyes from behind the till as he made a cheering action at his winning. 

He flipped Mike off and headed to the door, turning around before he left and yelling, “Double or nothing tomorrow!”

The following morning, Richie walked in with a brightness in his step. He was going to get that breakfast date with Eddie today, he just knew it. Ignoring Stan’s glare as he served the customers, Richie scribbled a half assed drawing of a piece of paper and cleared his throat, approaching Eddie’s table. 

“Uh, excuse me. You seem like someone who would appreciate fine art and I wanted your opinion on this dra-”

“Je ne parle pas anglais,” Eddie interrupted him, shaking his head and Richie could hear Mike snort from behind the counter. Fuck. 

He sighed and backed away, “Oh, you don’t speak English. Okay, sorry my bad…”

Dammit, fucking damnit. Richie was usually so good at the flirting thing, but he wasn’t even getting that far with Eddie. He needed to step up his game. Which was why the next day, when he came in, he was ready. He was going to get Eddie to come to  _ him.  _

That morning, Richie took his regular seat at the bar and held the menu up to his face. He waited a few moments before he started sobbing, sniffing quietly at first before he ranged into full on sobbing, causing the whole restaurant to stare at him in shock. Mike was laughing hysterically but the joke was on him, because a minute later, Eddie was tapping his shoulder. 

Richie let out a yelp of surprise, and Eddie jumped back, holding his hands up, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, I just...wanted to know if you were okay?”

Keeping up the act, Richie nodded his head and turned away, wiping at his fake tears, “Oh ye-yes I’m fine. Just- having a little problem here, it’s fine.”

“Can I help you?” Eddie asked, tilting his head and Richie shook his own head dramatically. 

“Oh no no no, it’s just I,” he sniffed loudly again, for affect. “I can’t…read.” As soon as the words fell from his lips he burst into fake wails again, burying his face in the menu. 

Eddie blinked a few times and reached for the menu, “Oh, well I can read it for you if you’d like?” He asked.

Richie shook his head once again and held the menu tightly, “No- no I can do this on my own. I’m a big boy. I can do this.” He looked at the menu. “I’m going to have some,” he paused, pretending as though he didn’t know the word in front of him was pancakes. “Pine? Pue?”

“Pan?” Eddie suggested for him and Richie repeated the first part of the word that Eddie had uttered to him. 

“Pan...clu,” He tried and shook his head. “Pancla, no that’s not it either!” He groaned. “Panclocks!”

Next to him, Eddie was a little quiet before he corrected him, a hand moving onto his shoulder. “Pancakes.”

“Pancakes!” Richie groaned in fake frustration, slamming the menu down with a huff. “I suck, I can’t believe I can’t read! I’m so stupid!” He put his head on the table and started with the sobbing again and Eddie stood up, walking around to the other side of him. 

“No, no don’t cry, it’s okay.” Eddie tapped his shoulder. “Why don’t you come over and sit with me and I’ll help you learn some of the words over breakfast?”

_ Score! _

Richie looked up then, a smile on his lips, “Okay, that would be really nice of you…?”

“Eddie,” Eddie supplied with a smile as they walked over to the table. 

“Eddie, I’m Richie. Nice to meet you.”

They made their way over to the table and true to Eddie’s word, they had breakfast together and he taught Richie some of the basic reading skills he had learned when he was in pre-school. Yet, Eddie was so patient with him, and so good at teaching, it took him by surprise.

“How did you get so good at this?” Richie asked as he swallowed the last piece of his pancake.

Eddie just smiled and shrugged a little, “Well, I’m an art teacher at my local Junior High so it’s kind of what I do.”

Time to put the flirting on, “You seem like the kind of teacher all the kids have a crush on. I know for sure I would have if I was in your class.” He held his breath, waiting for Eddie to tell him to fuck off, but it never happened. 

Instead he smiled and his cheeks turned that adorable red colour. “Okay…”

They spent the rest of breakfast together and then, just like the last time, Richie walked him out to his car. He even went the extra mile and opened the door for him as he slipped in. “I had a nice time,” Richie smiled and Eddie looked up at him, his big brown eyes staring into Richie’s. “See you around.”

As he walked back to his car, Eddie’s voice cut him off, “Wait- seriously? All that flirting and pretending not to be able to read and you’re not even going to ask for my number?” He asked, scoffing a little.

“What?” Richie gasped. “I can’t read!”

“Yeah, sure and I’m the King of England,” Eddie put his car into reverse. “I really thought that, since you were so desperate to meet me, maybe I could give you a shot, but I guess not.”

Richie panicked as Eddie started to drive away, “Wait- wait. Shit.” He rushed to his car and jumped in the driver’s seat, speeding after Eddie. He really didn’t want to fuck this up,  _ again.  _ He wasn’t thinking straight! He pulled up behind Eddie’s yellow car and rushed up to the door, knocking on it a few times before an older gentleman answered. 

“Mr Kaspbrak! My name is-”

He didn’t even get his name out before he was being dragged by the arm back down the porch and towards his car. “I know who you are.”

“I just want to apologise to Eddie, for the way we left things at the diner. I swear I don’t want to hurt him!” Richie tried to explain but Eddie’s dad wasn’t having it. 

“It’s not going to happen, Eddie is busy but you and me are going to have a little chat,” He almost snarled and they were soon joined by another boy. Ben, Richie assumed. Eddie’s adoptive brother. 

Frank, Eddie’s dad looked Richie dead in the eye, “I have one request for you Mr Tozier, stay away from Eddie.” He pointed to the car but Richie wasn’t for leaving, not just yet. 

“I- I will I swear, I just didn’t want us to leave things the way we did back there.”

Ben moved closer and shook his head, “Look, Richie. My dad and I we, we’ve spent too long trying to protect Eddie just for some guy with the hots for him to come in and ruin it.”

Richie shook his head. “Stan- he told me all about what you guys do and I totally respect it!”

Frank looked at Ben and shook his head, “Listen kid, if you know about Eddie and his condition then you know he can’t have a normal relationship with anyone. It’s just not possible. So it’s best if we just cut this right here and now and go back to our lives, okay? Just- stay away from the cafe, Eddie’s been through enough.”

There was no way that Richie was going to win this one, the look on both Frank and Ben’s faces said enough. He raised his hands in surrender and backed away, shaking his head just a little. “Okay, okay I’m going. I’m really sorry again for...for messing up your routine or whatever.”

With a sigh, Richie slipped back into his car and made his way home, his thoughts still swimming with Eddie and the conversation he had shared with his dad and brother. He guessed they did have a point. If Richie were to start a serious relationship with Eddie, he’d have to remind him every morning who he was and why he was in his bed. Was he really able to commit to such a...challenging life?

Was Eddie worth it?

Fuck, was that even a question? Of course Eddie was worth it. His smile made Richie’s insides go all funny and his laugh was the best thing he’d ever heard. If he could, Richie would gladly spend the rest of his life making Eddie smile and laugh the way he did and if he had to explain a few things every morning to make that happen? So be it. 

He might have been told to stay away from the cafe, but Frank and Ben didn’t say anything about conversing with Eddie on the road  _ from _ the cafe. 


	3. nothing beats a first kiss

“Bev, love of my life, my sun and stars-” Richie started but was cut off with Bev’s serious look as she stepped back from inspecting the walrus. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Say there was a guy you really liked, and his dad told you to stay away from him and you agreed, would you consider that a binding agreement?”

Bev blinked at Richie a few times before she sighed, “Richie, is this about Eddie?” She asked. “Wait- don’t answer that. Of course it is about Eddie, as he is all you talk about these days. You are a man obsessed. You told his dad you’d stay away from him right? So you should probably stay away from him.”

She started to walk away, but Richie wasn’t about to give up on his conversation, not just yet anyway, “Wait Bev, listen to me okay? His dad said I wasn’t allowed to talk to him at the cafe, but what if I talk to him when he  _ leaves _ ? Technically, no rules are broken, right?”

“You’re just going to get yourself into a sticky mess, Richie. Eddie has short term memory loss. Do you even know how hard that’s going to be if you pursue a relationship with him?” Bev asked. “Look, I know that sounded awful, but it’s true. He can’t have a normal relationship with anyone new that he meets because the next morning he won’t remember them.”

Richie knew that Beverly was right, but damn, he couldn’t even find it in his heart to care about all the extra hard work he’d have to put in. The thought of being with Eddie was too much, he really liked this guy and was going to do whatever he could to convince his family that he was serious. 

His mind made up, Richie grabbed the keys to his truck, checking the time once more before he started his drive out to the road between the cafe and Eddie’s house. In less than five minutes, according to his estimation, Eddie would be driving over that hill and Richie would put his plan into motion. After all, he promised Frank he wouldn’t go to the cafe, and he wasn’t at the cafe. No rules were being broken. 

Just like clockwork, Eddies familiar bright yellow car appeared in the distance and looked at the scene he had set up a few minutes prior. His hood of the truck was popped up and he reached into the passenger side for some jump cables. Yeah, so his truck wasn’t technically broken down, but Eddie didn’t need to know that. As the car slowly came to a stop, Eddie’s concerned expression made Richie’s heart jump. 

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m kind of stuck here,” Richie chuckled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

Eddie peaked out from the car window as he came to a total and complete stop. “Oh no, having some car trouble?”

“Seems like it, do you think you could give me a jump?” Nodding his head, Eddie stepped out of the car and popped his own hood, allowing Richie to attach the jump cables where they needed to go. “I really appreciate this, by the way, not everyone would have stopped for me.”

“It’s really not a problem,” Eddie replied with a smile, tucking some of his hair behind his ear and Richie swooned. Fuck he really was the most adorable man on this planet, wasn’t he? Eddie moved to get out of the car, eyeing up the jump cables for a second, as though he were about to comment on them. Luckily he didn’t, as Richie didn’t have a good excuse for why they were fake. 

As Richie moved to place the last jump cable into his car, a wicked thought came into his mind and he held back a smirk. Carefully, he placed the clip into place and followed it up with a loud, faked, painful scream. He jerked his body a little, making it look as though he was being electrocuted and Eddie’s response was to let out a high pitched, worried, scream of his own. His face looked so traumatised that Richie felt a little bad and let go with a chuckle, pointing in his direction. “I can’t believe you fell for that!”

The reaction from Eddie was not one that Richie expected as tears started to form in his soft brown eyes, some even spilling down over his cheeks. “Well, my grandad passed away trying to jumpstart a car…” he whispered and Richie felt his heart drop down into his stomach. Oh fuck, oh shit. Fuck! 

“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” Richie started to explain, wondering how the fuck he was going to fix this, if he even could. “I really was joking around…”

Eddie blinked a few times before a smirk of his own broke out on his face, “I can’t believe you fell for that!” He pointed right at Richie, sticking his tongue out as he giggled. Richie exhaled in relief before letting out a chuckle of his own. 

“Well played, well played,” Richie pointed back at him and then held out his hand. “My name’s Richie, what’s yours?”

“I’m Eddie.”

So Richie’s plan continued. Each day he would drive out to the same spot and change up his act just a little to get Eddie to stop for him, and each time he would win Eddie over with a smile and a joke. He even managed to get Bill involved in the whole thing, by making it look like he was being mugged. That was...not his best idea as Bill ended up being whacked with a baseball bat by Eddie and resulted in a trip to the ER. Safe to say, Audra was not pleased in the slightest. 

The whole thing came to an end when Richie had faked a kidnapping by tying himself up, sat in the back of his truck. When he realised the car driving closer wasn’t Eddie, he sighed and sat up, reading his magazine. “Don’t worry, cops are on their way, I’m all set.”

“Yeah, you all set for this, Mr Smarty?” A voice came from inside the car. A familiar voice at that. Richie looked up, his eyes widened as he was greeted by the sight of Eddie’s dad Frank and his stepbrother Ben. Fuck. 

“Shit,” Richie mumbled, racking his brain for a good enough response. 

“Yeah, so when you’re finished acting out your little kidnap scenario on my son, come by the house.” Frank ordered. Before Richie even had the chance to reply, the car was driving off and he was left alone in the dust. 

Carefully, Richie untied himself and jumped into the driver's seat of his truck, driving the familiar road to Eddie’s house that looked just like he remembered a few weeks ago. He could see both Frank and Ben in the distance and he plucked up all the courage he could, his heart sinking with each step as he approached them. “Uh, hi.”

Frank looked up, his eyes narrowing at Richie for a moment before he dropped the sandpaper he was holding. “Come with me, there is something I want to show you.” Unable to say no, Richie followed Frank to a shed, where, from behind the door, he could hear Eddie’s smooth singing voice. Frank opened the door just a crack and Richie looked inside, spotting Eddie right away, painting the wall as he sang out the words to “Wouldn’t it be Nice” by the Beach Boys. “We figured it out, he only sings on days he meets you.”

“Seriously?” Richie asked as they walked away, heading towards the house. “That song?”

Ben nodded, piping up. Until that moment he had been silent, just walking alongside them. “It’s a family song. Eddie’s mother used to sing it to him when he was little, before she passed away.”

“When I went away for anything, Eddie would make sure I would take that song on a tape with me so when I listened to it I would miss home and come back sooner. I have to say, it never failed. Not once.” Frank laughed and Richie could see a softer look appear in the man’s eyes, something sad.

“I have to say I’m seeing a whole new side to you sir. It’s kind of grossing me out,” Richie laughed. The second he said the words though, he regretted it. It was just an autopilot for him, to make a joke when the situation got serious. 

Frank just glanced at Ben before turning back to Richie and crossing his arms. He brought one hand up to pinch his nose and he sighed. “Let me ask you something, kid. What’s in it for you? What do you get out of all this?”

That caught Richie by surprise and he blinked, trying to think of something that would explain to the two men in front of him just what he was feeling. Yet, there were no words. “I- I don’t know,” he settled on, running a hand through his curls. They fell into silence and Eddie’s singing reached Richie’s ears once more, making him smiled. “Wouldn't you want to spend an hour a day with that?”

Both Ben and Frank were silent at that, sharing a look with one another. Neither of them made a move to talk, so Richie continued .

“Can I ask you guys something?” He asked and they both nodded. “What’s going to happen years down the line and he wakes up, looks in the mirror and realises he’s aged ten years overnight?”

“You know something, Richie?” Frank spoke up then, his voice somber and serious. “I worry about that every damn day of my life.”

* * * * *

The following day, Richie found himself back at the cafe, and instead of coming up with some elaborate scheme to get Eddie to sit with him, he just walked right up to his table. “Excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you but I realised that we were both sitting alone and wanted to know if you would like some company?”

Eddie looked up from his magazine and blinked at Richie, letting out a nervous giggle. “Uh, thanks but I um- I have a boyfriend.”

Richie couldn’t help but let out a breathless laugh, shaking his head at the excuse Eddie gave him. “Making up a boyfriend to try and get rid of me, huh? Original.”

“No I’m not!” Eddie gasped, nothing but offence in his tone. 

Raising his eyebrows, Richie crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s his name then?”

That seemed to catch Eddie off guard and he looked around the room, very obviously looking for inspiration, “It’s uhm, uh...Johnny!”

“Is his last name Depp?” Richie asked, a smirk on his lips.

“No, it’s Hamilton actually!” This time he looked smug, proud of himself to coming up with a successful name for his fake boyfriend. Richie was just about to ask him something else when Eddie’s expression changed and he stood up. “Oh no, fuck!”

Richie reached out a hand to stop him, “Shit I’m sorry, I’ll leave you alone now.”

Eddie shook his head, walking past him and making his way outside. “No, fuck, this cop is giving me a ticket!” Panic surged in Richie as Eddie stormed out the door towards the cop and Stan nudged him to follow him. “What are you doing?”

The cop looked up from writing the ticket as Richie appeared behind Eddie, stressfully running a hand through his hair. “The tags on this car expired May of this year.”

“No!” Eddie shook his head, looking as though he was about to cry. “No they don’t expire until May of  _ next _ year!” The cop just shook his head and passed Eddie the ticket, making his way back to the car. “I’m not paying for this! It’s October for fucks sake!”

Before Richie or Stan could stop him, Eddie reached for one of the papers that a customer had, taking it out of his grip and looking at the date. “Eddie let’s go back inside,” Stan started but it was too late. Eddie had seen the real date on the paper and confusion was all over his features. 

“What?”

He dropped the paper he was holding and rushed over to the paper stand, flicking through them all. All Richie could do was watch in horror as Eddie realised that it wasn’t the day of October 13th after all, but well into September of the following year. He could only watch as Eddie rushed to his car and took off down the dirt road, and was only snapped out of it when Stan nudged him to follow. 

When he arrived, Eddie was running out of the house in tears, heading towards the large boardwalk where he collapsed at the end, screaming into the air. Frank and Ben followed about a quarter of the way, making it easy for Richie to catch up to them, slowing to a stop with tears in his own eyes. In Frank’s hand there was a large leather binder and it didn’t take a genius to know what it contained. 

Slowly, the three of them approached Eddie, Richie staying to the back as Frank knelt down and held out the binder to his son. “Kiddo, these are from the accident.” He sat back just a little, giving Eddie the space he needed to process the whole thing. 

With a shocked expression, Eddie lifted his hand and moved it to the side of his head, searching for the scar. When he felt it, he let out another sob and tore his hand away, “Oh god, oh god. I could feel it. Oh god.” He continued to flick through the book until it was at the end and he looked up at his dad. “I need- I need to speak to the doctor. I need to hear it from him.”

Frank sighed, reaching out to touch Eddie’s shoulder. “Eddie you have heard it from him, many times.”

“I- I have?” Eddie stammered and Frank nodded his head. 

It was at that moment that Richie spoke up for the first time. “I’ll take him. I need to hear it for myself too.” 

Everyone seemed to agree that that was the right decision and they all piled into Frank’s car. Ben and Frank in the front with Eddie and Richie in the back. “It’s going to be alright, Eds,” Richie assured him as they drove and Eddie turned to face him. 

“Don’t call me Eds, I barely know you,” he muttered, looking back out the window. That caused an ache to develop in Richie’s stomach, settling there uncomfortably. 

Frank piped up from the seat, looking at them through the rearview mirror. “Actually, Eddie. You’re sort of dating him. Eddie’s eyes widened and he looked back and forth between Richie and his dad, clearly trying to process the information. 

“Sorry I’m not better looking,” Richie joked, once again reverting back to his autopilot state. The car fell back into a weird silence, but Richie was feeling slightly hopeful as Eddie kept looking at him, glancing over his features. 

“So you guys have to lie to me every day.” Eddie breathed, but there was no response for that, not a single one. 

When they arrived at the clinic, the doctor was there to greet them with a smile. It was obvious to Richie that he had done this many times, and already knew the routine. Yet Richie was fresh to the whole thing, and was listening very intently to what the doctor had to say. Once he had explained all the ins and outs and showed them Eddie’s brain scans, they moved into the office. 

“Your condition is stable Eddie, but I’m afraid it’s most likely permanent,” the doctor sighed. “I am so very sorry.”

By the time they headed back to Eddie’s house, it was dark out and everyone was exhausted. It had been a rough day for Eddie, and it was clearly shown in his expression as he stepped out of the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow guys,” he sighed and stopped in front of Richie. “And I guess I’ll see you too?”

Richie nodded his head, “Oh yeah. You had a really shit day today Eds, I’m so sorry. Try and get a good night's sleep okay?”

Eddie nodded his head and made his way up the steps before he stopped and turned back around, “Hey uh, thank you for being so nice to me today. I- I don’t want you to strike out tomorrow so...talk to me about peonies.”

“Peonies, huh?” Richie asked, a smile on his lips as he stared up into Eddie’s gorgeous brown eyes. 

“I am a  _ sucker _ for peonies.”

As soon as Eddie disappeared into the house, Richie made a move to leave but was stopped by Frank. “You’ve earned a few beers, I think.”

Richie wasn’t one to turn down a drink, so he nodded and followed Frank and Ben out back, where they handed him a can. He ended up talking about his trip to Alaska that he wanted to make, which brought the subject back around to Eddie. “You know, you don’t have to lie to him everyday.”

That caught both Frank and Ben’s attention and they turned to him, “What do you mean” Frank asked. 

“I just mean, when you guys tell Eddie, it’s not just the accident that he’s finding out about but that his life is basically a huge set up.” Richie explained what he had been thinking throughout the day, hoping it wouldn’t cause them to turn against him. “I think- I think that’s what freaks him out the most, you know?”

Ben narrowed his eyes, “So what, you think you’re an expert now?” He asked.

“No-” Richie shook his head. “No I just- I wish there was another way besides; “Oh sorry we couldn’t trick you today, here’s some photos of your broken head”.” As he said the words, a thought came into mind and he stood up. “I think I’m gonna split anyway. Thanks for the beer. I’ll be seeing you?”

Frank nodded his head and Richie waved to the two of them before making his way back to the car. He stopped next to Frank’s, the book still sitting in the front seat and making sure that no-one was watching him, Richie grabbed it. He was going to need it for his plan after all.

* * * * *

The following morning, true to his word, Richie arrived at Eddie’s house before him and in his hand were a bunch of Peonies and in the other, a videotape. As Eddie drove up, Richie inhaled, taking a step forward. “Eddie Kaspbrak?”

“Yes?” Eddie asked, turning his head in Richie’s direction and stopping, blinking at him. “Can I- can I help you?”

Richie stepped closer, holding out the flowers for Eddie to take. “These are for you as well as this.” Richie followed them up with the wrapped up video tape. 

Eddie accepted the flowers and the tape, bringing the bunch up to his nose and taking a large whiff. “They are gorgeous! Who are they from?” He asked, holding them close. 

“Alas, I cannot tell you!” Richie gasped out dramatically, making Eddie giggle a little, hiding his face behind the flowers. “They are from a secret admirer.”

At that moment, Frank stepped out of the house, a curious expression on his face, “Who’s your friend Eddie?” He asked, leaning on the beam of the porch. 

“I don’t know, we just met but look!” Eddie held up the flowers, cheeks flushed and looking so...happy with himself. “I have a secret admirer.”

Frank looked down at the other item in his son’s hand and then glanced at Richie, “And what’s that a videotape of?” He asked and Eddie blinked, looking down at his other gift. 

“I have no idea, but I need to find out!” He moved to step past his dad, pausing to wish him a happy birthday before disappearing into the house, probably to watch the tape. 

Richie opened his mouth to speak but Frank beat him to it, walking over with a glare, “What the hell are you doing?” He asked and Richie was quick to explain. 

“I just wanted to try something different. If it doesn’t work, then we’ve only wasted one day.” He replied and Frank stepped back, slowly nodding his head as they turned together to head back into the house. Eddie was already sitting on the couch, the first few seconds of the video playing, with the song “Wouldn’t it be nice” in the background. 

**GOOD MORNING EDDIE**

**Everything is going to be okay… but there are a few things you missed this year. **

The video cut to various news articles and videos highlighting major events that had happened throughout the year following Eddie’s accident. 

**You don’t remember this because…**

It was then that the video cut to the clips of the accident that Richie had taken from the book. Eddie was staring at the screen, tears trailing down his cheeks as he processed the information that was being presented to him. He slowly moved off the chair, his breathing becoming laboured and he lifted his hand to feel for the scar. 

That was when the video changed to a live feed, one that Richie had made Bill help him film in the cafe the night before. 

_ “Aloha, Eddie! I’m Richie Tozier. We met right here in this cafe about a year after your accident. Uh, I like you and you like me...most days. Everyday is different. Basically, this is what happens, Eds.” _

Eddie looked over at Richie, tears in his eyes before he turned back to the TV, at the scene unfolding. Bill had passed the camera to Ava, who was grinning with excitement at being able to help. She turned it around to show a very poorly put together reenactment of Richie and Eddie’s first meeting. 

It had been late, Richie was drunk and tired. Sue him. Though it did make Eddie giggle through his tears, so Richie considered that a win in this case. 

_ “Anyways, I know you wish I was making all this stuff up. I wish I was too. The good news is though, that there are so many people out there who care about you; your dad, Ben, Stan and MIke here at the cafe. So when you’re ready, we would love to talk to you and answer any questions you might have… and you’re the best Eds. Aloha.” _

Ben turned off the TV as the tape came to an end and Eddie stared at his reflection in the black screen for a moment before turning to his dad. “How- how many times have I watched this?”

“This is the first time,” Frank explained and Eddie nodded before he stood up and left the room, walking out to the boardwalk, staring out at the sea. 

An hour passed and Richie stood with Frank and Ben, just watching Eddie to make sure he was okay. “We could do this every day you know. He would watch the tape and process it and then be able to go have lunch, see his friends, get his life back you know?”

Frank looked back at Eddie, who was starting to make his way back in, and over to them. “We’ll leave that up to him, yeah?” Eddie came to a stop in front of them, a small smile on his face. 

“So, how’s the cow?” He asked and Richie couldn’t contain the snort that left his lips, running a hand through his hair. 

“Same as you, every day they have to convince her that she’s a cow.” He bantered back and Eddie giggled along with him, clearly finding the joke funny. 

Eddie bit his lip, “Will you come with me to the tree?” He asked and Richie nodded his head. He would never be able to say no to anything Eddie asked of him. Ever.

They took Eddie’s car, driving out to the spot where the tree was. He swallowed and got out, Richie following close behind. “You know, I’ve never hung out with you in the afternoon like this,” he explained. The sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow over the area, making Eddie look even more stunning than he already was. “In this light? God you look...horrific!” He gasped and Eddie giggled, moving over and giving him a light shove. 

“You know, I wonder how you get me to fall for your lanky ass everyday,” Eddie pondered and Richie started to move back, letting Eddie follow him with a smile. 

“Oh you know,” Richie started. “All I gotta do is bat these lashes of mine and you’re drooling all over me.” 

Eddie suddenly got all serious then, looking up at Richie as they made their way back to the car, “Why couldn’t I have met you one day  _ before _ the accident?”

“You know, it’s okay because if you’d known me for more than a day you’d realise just how annoying and boring I am,” Richie laughed, trying to make light of the situation. 

“Actually, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but it takes less than one day,” Eddie admitted, grinning the whole time so Richie knew he wasn’t being serious. 

Feigning hurt, Richie put a hand over his chest, “You know what? That hurt. Your damaged temporal lobe is causing me pain, and I am going to get you for that.”

Eddie hissed like a cat, making his hands into claws and Richie fell just a little bit more in love with him.

* * * * *

It became somewhat of a routine. Every morning Richie would show Eddie the tape, he would process it and then they would go out and do something fun, a way of taking his mind off of what happened. This particular evening they were on the beach, surrounded by some of Eddie’s friends whom he hadn’t seen in a year. 

“So you’re Richie, Eddie’s friend right? The one who made the tape.” One of the girls asked and Richie nodded his head. Before he could say anything though, Eddie piped up. 

“I think he’s more than my friend.” He turned to Richie, his eyes soft and loving. “You’re my boyfriend, right?”

Richie nodded his head, taking Eddie’s hand and bringing it to his lips, “That I am, that I am.”

“So every day you help him realize what happened and you wait patiently for him to be okay with it...and then you get him to fall in love with you again?” The same friend asked, nothing but pure awe in her voice as she spoke. 

A blush rose up on Richie’s cheeks and he ducked his head before nodding, and looking back up at Eddie, then back to the woman. “That’s right ma’am.”

She made a lovestruck expression before turning to her significant other and smacking him hard across the chest, “You asshole! You don’t even open the fucking car door for me anymore.”

Everyone burst into laughter before Eddie nudged Richie with his arm, pointing over to a more secluded area of the beach. “Come with me?” He asked and Richie nodded, standing up and lacing their fingers together. 

About ten minutes into their walk, Eddie pulled out his video camera from his bag pack, turning it on and pointing it to Richie. Since the video had been such a success, Eddie had insisted on filming some new scenes for them, so he could document all of their relationship. He didn’t want to forget even a second of it. 

“Okay, so tell me more about yourself,” Eddie started and Richie laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “Come on! It’s for the video. Please?”

“Okay okay,” Richie relented and stuffed his hands into his pockets as they walked. “Well, I’ve won over ten all you can eat chicken wing contests,” he bragged, waggling his eyebrows. “I can burp the alphabet...backwards.” Both of them laughed and he looked back up at Eddie. “What do you want to know, Eds?”

Eddie fell silent, looking from the camera and back to Richie, biting his lower lip. “Do you love me?” The question took Richie by surprise and he puffed out a breath. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot or anything,” Eddie quickly backtracked, “You know uh for informational purposes. I just wanted to know so I can keep the video as up to date as possible.” His cheeks were bright red with embarrassment and Richie thought he was so fucking cute. 

Richie swallowed, “Love is uh, it’s a very strong word…” he trailed off, a smile creeping onto his face. “Let’s see. I go to this cafe every morning and I see you there, reading.” He stopped again, looking at his feet. “And...I love you. Very much. Probably more than anyone could ever love another person.”

“Wow,” Eddie breathed, some tears in his eyes. “And- uh...and how do I feel about you?” He asked, reaching up to tuck some hair behind his ear, still holding on to the camera with his other hand. 

Once again, Richie was caught off guard and he laughed a little. How did Eddie feel about him? Richie really wasn’t sure about that, all he could do was hope that he felt the same. Yet Eddie needed an answer, and so an answer Richie gave him. “Well uh, you’re excited about the burping the alphabet thing and...you’ve been dying to make out with me for some time now.”

Eddie blinked, smiling softly at Richie and for a moment he thought maybe they were moving too fast. However, all thoughts were banished from his brain as Eddie stepped forward, closing the distance between them and placing his hand on the back of Richie’s neck, bringing their lips together in a soft, yet perfect first kiss.

Their eyes fell closed as Richie wrapped an arm around Eddie’s waist, pulling him close as their lips met over and over again, soft and gently. As they pulled away, Eddie fluttered his eyelashes open, staring up at Richie with a soft expression. In that moment, he never wanted to let Eddie go. 

“Nothing beats a first kiss.”


End file.
